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Luc Lafnet

A Checklist of Works Illustrated by Luc Lafnet

Luc Lafnet was born on January 22nd 1899 in Belgium. He was a student at the Académie des Beaux-Arts de Liège
in 1915, studying painting and graphic arts before moving to Paris in 1923. When Lafnet illustrated erotic
literature he used the pseudonyms: Jim Black, Viset, Lucas O, Grim and Pol. In 1938, when Rob-Vel was called to fight in
the war, Lafnet took over illustrating "Spirou", a character illustrated by Rob-Vel in the popular Belgian
magazine "Le Journal de Spirou". Lafnet died in 1939.

AU BORD DU LIT

21cm. 39pp. Limited edition of 360 copies on Lafuma, of which 350 are numbered 1-350, the balance containing an additional suite of the plates done in yellowish-brown, lettered A-J. 11 plates signed Lucas O.

This work was done in a series of 4 volumes published in 1928, 1930, 1932 and 1935, all under the publisher imprint of Au Cabinet du Livre [Jean Fort].
Even though the frontispiece of the 1935 volume is signed 'Luc', Luc Lafnet is not the artist; either that or Mr. Lafnet was having a really bad day.

Preface by Pierre Dufay. Because Martin van Maele died before completing the illustrations for Les Dialogues, the frontispiece + two of the engravings are by Viset, the remaining are by Martin van Maele.

8vo. 165pp. Limited to 365 copies of which 15 are on Japon impérial and 350 on Lafuma [Perceau calls for an additional 4 copies on Japon with 1 suite of illustrations in blood-red + 1 suite in watercolor and 12 copies on Japon with 1 suite of illustraions in blood-red]. Frontispiece + 12 engravings signed Viset [Luc Lafnet].

The preface is by Sylvestre Bonnard, a pseudonym used by Pierre Dufay. L'Ecole des Biches was originally published in Paris in 1863 (dated 1868) by [Jean-Pierre] Blanche (1820-1875) of Brussels in a limited edition of 64 copies [See Dictionnaire des Œuvres èrotiques: p.151]. L'Ecole des Biches was frequently written by hand; the original MS done for Duponchel contained 12 illustrations in outline by J. Chauvet [See: Ashbee V.1 p.194]

Introduction by Hepley [Louis Perceau], with a study on the president by Sylvestre Bonnard. Originally published in 1850. A 1907 edition was published by Jules Chevrel with illustrations by Van Troizem (Martin van Maele)

This work is a continuation of the book "Les Confidences d'un Baronnet", published in 1929 by Jean Fort's Collection des Orties Blanches, also illustrated by "Jim Black". An advertisement at the front of the book, Dresseuses d'Hommes, states that Poker de Dames has "douze héliogravures de Jim Black. Un volume in-8 sur papier de luxe.

From the series Le Coffret du Bibliophile. Introduction by Guillaume Apollinaire. First published in 1877 as "Mémoires d'une Demoiselle de bonne famille". Also published by P. J. Haumont as "Mémoires d'une demoiselle de bonne famille" with illustrations by Berthomme. A 1961 reprint published by Le Livre du Bibliophile includes the illustrations by Lafnet but is outside the scope of this checklist.

The author of Zoloé has been falsly attributed to the Marquis de Sade. Zoloé, which first appeared in July of 1800 [See Ashbee v.1 p.407], was erronously thought to have been the reason for the Marquis De Sade's arrest in 1800. Because of that assumption, the author of Zoloé was assumed to have De Sade. However, this has since been shown to be false. (See Gilbert Lély's "The Marquis de Sade: A Biography", 1961, p.415-416)